Sharanagati


Sharanagati or Prapatti is the process of total surrender to God in Vaishnavism. The process of Sharanagati forms the basis of devotion to Vishnu in the bhakti traditions within the Sri Sampradaya, propounded by Ramanuja, and the Gaudiya Sampradaya, founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Ramanuja considered surrender to Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi to be the highest goal of life. At the same time, Chaitanya emphasised surrender to Krishna and his consort Radha as supreme through physical surrender to the preceptor/guru.

Etymology

Prapatti comes from the Sanskrit root pad and the prefix pra, meaning "to take refuge with/in." In Sri Vaishnavism, it refers to the act of total self-surrender at the feet of God as a means to attain liberation, which is understood as joining "Vishnu's retinue" in Vaikuntha. Thus, prapatti is closely associated with the concept of soteriological surrender.

Vatakalai and Tenkalai schools

In Sri Vaishnavism, the Vatakalai and Tenkalai schools understood prapatti as self-surrender to God. The concept was already expressed in the 11th-century writings of Ramanuja, though the two schools interpreted it differently. The Vatakalais viewed prapatti as one among several paths to liberation, suited for those unable to follow demanding practices. The Tenkalais saw prapatti as the sole path to liberation, with complete surrender through total reliance on God's grace.

Literature

texts recognize the practice of Sharanagati. Yamunacharya posited this approach as an alternative to the conventional practices of seeking salvation:
Vedanta Desika's commentary on this sloka offers his perspective:
Vedanta Desika's Niksheparaksha presents prapatti as a distinct and valid path to liberation, separate from the bhaktiyoga of Ramanuja's works. It follows the Sanskrit scholastic norms and omits references to Alvars and their texts. In this text, Vedanta Desika presents prapatti as grounded in the Caramashloka, where Krishna's invitation to surrender is interpreted as a self-sufficient means to salvation. While Ramanuja views the verse as affirming bhaktiyoga, Vedanta Desika sees it as emphasizing prapatti as an independent path.

Initiation

The formal ritual of Sharanagati is a Vedic and Puranic scriptural and tradition backed ritual called the Pancha-Samskara, or "the five impressions." Another name is Samashrayanam. The individual receives the following:
  • Nama Samskara: An initiation 'spiritual' name, such as a name of Vishnu, or one of his devotees, suffixed with the word dasa. Examples of these could be Vishnu dasa or Ramanuja dasa.
  • Pundra Samskara: Application of the tiruman, or the Urdhva Pundra, on the forehead and 12 marks on certain parts of the body, which signifies that the individual belongs to Vishnu, and that their bodies, minds, and souls are the temples of Lakshmi-Narayana.
  • Thapa Samskara: Special branding on the shoulders of the conch and the chakra of Vishnu by a guru.
  • Yajna Samskara: Learning to perform the archana or puja, or ritual worship, of Lakshmi-Narayana from the guru.
  • Mantra Samskara: Learning three special mantras dedicated to Vishnu from the guru.

    Three mantras in Sri Vaishnavism

In Sri Vashnavism, three sacred mantras, understood as rahasya, express the act of saranagati:
  • Tiru Mantra: aum namo narayanaya, meaning "Om, praise to Narayana".
  • Carama Sloka: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah, meaning "Having completely given up all modes of righteousness, to Me alone come for refuge. From all sins I will free you. Do not grieve."
  • Dvaya Mantra: srimannarayaṇa-caraṇau saranam prapadye, srimate narayanaya namaḥ, meaning "I approach for refuge the feet of Narayana along with Sri; praise to Narayana with Sri".

    Principles

Sri Vaishnavism

In the Sri Vaishnava tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into six principles:
  1. Accepting those things that are favorable for devotion to God
  2. Rejecting those things that are averse to surrender to God
  3. Considering God to be one's protector in all circumstances
  4. Accepting God as one's maintainer
  5. Surrendering everything in God's service
  6. Cultivating a humble attitude

    Gaudiya Vaishnavism

In the Gaudiya tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into six principles:
  1. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ – Accepting what is favorable for devotional service.
  2. Prātikūlyasya varjanam – Rejecting what is unfavorable for bhakti.
  3. Rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsaḥ – Having firm faith that Bhagavān will protect the devotee.
  4. Goptṛtve varaṇam – Accepting Bhagavān as one’s sole maintainer.
  5. Ātma-nikṣepaḥ – Full surrender of oneself to Bhagavān.
  6. Kārpaṇya – Feeling humility and helplessness before Bhagavān.

    Five Limbs

In Vishistadvaita, the Saranagati bears 5 elements: the five limbs, referred to as angas, and the adherent, known as an angi.
  1. Acknowledgement of one's helplessness
  2. Determination not to err again
  3. Vowing to follow the rules
  4. Possessing an unshakeable faith that God is the sole refuge
  5. Seeking God as one's protector

    Synonyms

In Gitarthasangraha, Yamuna identifies saranagati as a key theme of Chapter 7. In his commentary, Ramanuja also echoes this, but uses the word prapatti instead, treating it as synonymous with saranagati. Ramanuja also introduces samasrayana to denote seeking refuge in the "human form of the deity", such as Krishna. While prapatti and saranagati are used interchangeably to denote refuge in God, samasrayana refers more narrowly to refuge in an incarnate, accessible form of God.